The View
by DNAisUnique
Summary: Post-ep for "The Time Of Our Lives." Everything aired through that episode is fair game.


**So this is the first thing that I've written in nearly three years. I'd love to know what you think.**

**Enjoy!**

**VVVVV**

She looked out over the water as the salty breeze swept a strand of hair across her face. As she reached up to tuck the hair behind her ear, the diamonds on her left hand caught the early morning rays of sunlight. She remembered a time not too long ago when she feared that yesterday-the first day of the rest of their lives-would never be a reality.

She felt his presence behind her a second before he slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her neck just below her right ear.

"There you are," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

"Yeah, I love the view."

He kissed her neck again. "If you think this view is amazing, you should see the view in the bedroom."

She laughed and turned in his embrace, lacing her fingers together at the nape of his neck. "I'm glad you got some sleep last night."

"I know, right?!" he exclaimed, his hands coming to rest on her hips. "There's nothing like getting married to put a man to sleep."

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"That didn't come out right, did it?"

"No. But, fortunately, I'm too happy to be mad at you." She pressed her lips against his as proof of her happiness.

"Guess you could say I got lucky," he replied cheekily when the kiss ended.

She pulled back only slightly and playfully swatted at his chest with her left hand, the motion once again causing the diamonds to shimmer in the orange and pink rays. Her eyes landed on the rings as her fingers fiddled with the soft cotton of his t-shirt. "Say it again."

"Say what again?"

"You know," she urged, glancing from his eyes to the rings on her finger and back to his eyes.

He took her left hand in his right, brushing his thumb against her knuckles. Eyes locked, he slowly brought her hand to his lips, kissing the space between the rings and her knuckle. "I love you, Mrs. Castle."

"Mmm," she murmured with a grin. "I love the sound of that."

"Me, too." He kissed her hand again and rested both of their hands against his chest.

"Not going to lie though-it'll take some getting used to. I've never been anyone other than Kate Beckett."

"Not even when you were married to What's-his-name from Stanford-slash-Las Vegas?" He had intended for that to be a joke, but he felt her tense against him. "Too soon?"

"Yeah, a little bit." Had it not been for her not-real real wedding fifteen years ago, she and Castle wouldn't have had to track down the headache that was Rogan O'Leary, they wouldn't have been delayed getting to The Hamptons, and Castle might not have been abducted on his way to their wedding. That 'what if' scenario had crossed her mind thousands of times in the last few months.

Castle studied his bride, regretting that what he had said caused the pain he saw written on her face. "I'm sorry," he replied, letting go of her hand only to pull her flush against him a moment later. "I didn't mean…"

"I know," she said, cutting off his apology. She knew he was just being his normal self, and she loved that about him. With the side of her face pressed against his chest, she returned his hug. She breathed deeply, taking in the scents of salty air and her husband. "So," she said, changing the subject, "tell me more about this AU Kate Beckett. What was Captain Beckett like?"

Relieved that he hadn't upset her too badly, he said, "She was you-lite. She had a lot of your traits, sure, but she didn't have your fire and passion. No one did. That is, until I came along."

He didn't need to see her face to know that she was rolling her eyes.

"It's true. Although AU Beckett and I did meet at a Derrick Storm book signing, we never worked that first case together."

"In other words," she interrupted, pulling back to look at him, "AU you didn't pull strings with your BFF, the mayor, and worm your way into my precinct."

"See? There's yet another life changed by my presence. Anyway, because I didn't work with AU you, everything was different. There were no Nikki Heat novels, your promotion to Captain meant that Ryan worked so much that he didn't make time for Jenny, so they never got married nor had Sarah Grace. And because you and I didn't have a relationship, I wasn't abducted before our wedding, which meant that Lanie and Esposito never got back together." He paused and shook his head in a moment of reflection. "The AU world was a sad place without Caskett, Esplanie, and...what would you call them? 'Kenny?' 'Jevin?'"

She put a finger to his lips. "Let's just go with, 'The Ryans.'"

"Yeah," he nodded in agreement. "I like it."

She stepped out of his embrace and moved to his side where they could both watch the water. She slipped her hand into his and gently squeezed. "I'm glad you're my you."

They grinned at each other as she repeated his words from yesterday.

"And I'm glad you're my you."

They watched the water for a few more moments, knowing that everything was perfect, and they were exactly where they were meant to be.

"Come on, Mr. Castle," she insisted, dropping his hand and stepping toward the house. "Let's go check out that view in the bedroom."

"After you, Mrs. Castle." He bowed with his arm outstretched, motioning for her to lead. He let her get a few steps ahead before he whistled. When she turned back toward him, he made his signature 'What-did-I-do?' face. "Just admiring the view."

**VVVVV**

**Thanks for reading!**


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